The Only Reason Customer Service Should Exist

Is to change peoples’ feelings. Tony Hsieh, one of Zappos’ founders, set out on a mission to position their company as the provider of the best customer experience. They set about making this a reality by ripping up the standard customer service measures that are often used (number of rings before the phone is answered, speed that the matter is dealt with, or how many calls are fielded per hour) and focused on what mattered most, complete customer satisfaction. In Zappos case, this meant “delivering wow!” to the customer. No matter what it took, Zappos customer service team was empowered to resolve the issue to the complete satisfaction of the customer. How was success measured? Simply by monitoring (not just asking) whether the customer would not just continue to buy from them, but also go on to recommend them to their friends. Behaviour trumps intent every time!